Good News Friday

My good news is that, while the rest of the country is sweltering, I’m in the one cool state. I’m actually kind of freezing right now. This weekend we’re hoping to see Glacier National Park, which has about seven feet of snow, according to our very pregnant relative who went sledding up there (because that’s safe).

But there’s good news in the rest of the world, too, even in a heat wave, and even if these days you have to dig really hard to find it.

PBS Receives Emmy Nod for Wrongful Imprisonment Piece

I saw PBS’s Frontline special The Confessions a few weeks ago, and recommended it to people within minutes. Now the Emmys agree with me. Well researched and powerfully told, The Confessions looks into the story of the Norfolk Four – a group of Navy sailors wrongfully accused of a brutal crime. It explains better than anything I’ve seen or read before how someone could confess to a crime he or she didn’t commit. If you have any interest in the justice system, wrongful conviction, or law enforcement, you should check it out. It’s available to watch for free on PBS’s website.

Poet Reflects on Life in Exile

I know there’s probably bigger and better news out there, but I am excited about this book coming out and, dang it, I want one. In Borrowing Fire, South Sudanese poet and short story writer David Dedi reflects on his life in Sudan, Uganda and Kenya and what it means to be in exile. That’s all there is to say about that, except to go out and buy me one (oh and one for you, too).

Myanmar Now Combatting Human Trafficking…?

So after decades of brutal oppression and human rights abuses, the Burmese government has decided to go all Nancy Grace. They recently formed 26 special police squads to combat human trafficking, particularly across borders, and built 8 rehabilitation centers for victims.

If this is true, it deserves to be in “Good News Friday.” But considering Burma is known worldwide for forced labor, sex trafficking in their military, and mass religious and ethnic persecution, I’m not holding my breath. Although the thought sounds lovely. Like being able to fly or cotton candy growing on trees.

That’s it for this week. Now I’ve got to get back to a busy schedule of watching eagles and wild horses with my husband, playing fetch with my dog off the dock, and looking out for grizzly bears.